As a child, I was an avid fiction reader. I loved anything from Chronicles of Narnia to The Babysitters Club to Anne of Green Gables to Amelia Bedelia. …and…wait for it…Choose your own adventure!!!
I think I actually believed they were non-fiction though!
Wrapped in a blanket hiding away in one of my homemade forts, I would read my favourite series over and over until the pages were falling out and the glossy coating wrinkled away from the fading cover. I loved nothing more than getting lost in a fantasy world.
Nowadays, my passion has evolved from reading story books to informational books. I still occasionally enjoy reading a good fiction book (mostly if I’m on vacation though), but I love to read non-fiction books to learn more about my passions. My love for non-fiction books started when I fell in love with health and nutrition. I bought books like Dr. Oz’s YOU series, Kris Carr’s Crazy Sexy Cancer, Howard’s The Owners Manual for the Brain, and later, Pollan’s In Defense of Food. When cooking and baking became a passion in my life, my cookbook collection grew, and grew, and grew and I found myself inspired to follow a similar path.
And then there’s the photography.
Growing up, my family would always teasingly call me, ‘the little tourist’ because I took pictures of everything…every moment…everyone…nothing could escape my wrath! Mom in her robe first thing in the morning? Photo worthy. My sister Kristi taking one of my beloved belongings? Also photo worthy.
My love for photography started with a Polaroid camera and progressed to using my dad’s film camera and eventually receiving my own point & shoot digital camera from Eric as a birthday gift. I think Eric’s words were, “I think you need to switch to digital so we can stop wasting so much money on film.” He did have a point, but little did he know that I would soon require more computer storage to fit all my digital raw photos and a new lens to go with it. ;)
There was just something about capturing the beauty of real life in a photo that excited me to no end.
Even though I always loved photography, I never expected that it would blossom into something that I do everyday as part of my career. Now, rarely a day goes by that I am not practicing.
When I started the blog in 2008, I used my old, beaten up Point & Shoot camera (we now call it the “point & shit” because it doesn’t always turn ON). Eric bought a Canon DSLR in 2007 and I was so intimidated by it, I didn’t start using it for my blog photos for over 1.5 years. Over time, he was able to show me the difference a professional camera (and the right knowledge) could make in a photo.
After several months of shooting in “auto” mode with the DSLR, I decided that it was time to shoot in RAW format to give myself the freedom to post-process photos without compromising the quality. When Ashley was visiting, she showed me how she uses Adobe Lightroom to edit photos (something I had been using blindly for a couple months prior) and with practice, I fell in love with it a bit more each day. Now, I couldn’t imagine shooting in auto mode because shooting in raw is just so much more fun. Post-processing is also super quick once you get the hang of it. It typically takes me less than 30 seconds per photo.
I typically have a few books on the go at the same time (including several cookbooks), because as always, I can’t just pick one thing to focus on! I like to spend about a half hour at night reading, so I don’t get through books very quickly. ;)
Right now, you can find me reading through a ton of vegan cookbooks as well as my recently purchased Plate to Pixel by Helene Dujardin, otherwise known as Tartelette!
I fell in love with Plate to Pixel from the moment I opened the book. Not only does Helene’s passion for food photography jump off the page, but it’s brimming with full colour, stunning photography throughout the book. I’m only a quarter of the way through and I’ve already learned so much and brushed up on some skills that were a bit foggy. I highly recommend it to those of you who are interested in pursuing food photography at a deeper level.
What are you reading right now? What were your favourite books to read as a kid?
Oooh – I am so glad you posted this. I am not sure how, but somehow I didn’t know this book existed. Just added it to my Amazon wishlist :)
Oh girl, I’m embarrassed to tell you what I’m using now…Ryan took our good camera for a swim in his bag as his water bottle leaked all over it….so currently for this last couple weeks I’ve been using my BLACKBERRY!!! Fab foodblogger, right?! LOL.
We’re shopping now for a camera.
I love reading everything self help. I’m in love with Louise Hay right now – You Can Heal Your Life
xxoo
hehe I’ve used Eric’s blackberry before too…it actually takes much better pics than I thought!
For a minute there, I thought you were describing me. Haha. I like reading nonfiction to learn, in general.
I actually just yesterday requested this book from my library and I’m really excited to get it. I have a Canon DSLR too and am still working through using it to its best potential… I finally found the plug-in to use my camera in RAW mode and it is awesome and so much easier to use than I expected! I can’t wait for daylight savings to kick in so I can get a little more light later on.
STUNNING photography mydear. I need to work on borrowing my roommate’s Rebel!
I’m still a fiction girl at heart– must be the English teacher in me :-) Right now though, I’m actually reading non-fiction– Mary Karr’s memoir, Lit. Very intense– and very good.
I love all of the photography talk– I’d like to really take my photography to the next level…it’s such a fun hobby to work on!
I do have to say that your photography is always incredible. I’ll have to check out that book since I am trying to improve my camera skills. As a child, I loved the Beverly Clearly books, The Babysitter’s Club, Little Women, and Anne of Green Gables (ever see the movies? They were also my favorite!).
The movies are my favourite too!
I’ve been to PEI and visited the Anne of Green Gables houses….umm yea huge fan over here!
Thanks for featuring this book! I have it on my wish list and I was patiently waiting to hear something great about it!
I think we had similar taste in fiction as kids. I LOVED the choose your own adventure books. Did you read the Goosebumps books?! Those were also a favorite. :)
I’m so excited to get this Plate to Pixel book. I’ve only been using a “real” camera for about a month, but already can tell between now and then I’ve learned so much. My husband does some professional photography and is kind enough to let me use his camera. He’s trying to teach me how to “compose within the camera” now. Up until recently, I would have had no idea what that meant. haha
Goosebumps…yea!!
Wow, I could so have written this post! I loved all of the series you mentioned as a kid. I think Chronicles of Narnia was my favorite. And I grew up leaning more towards non-fiction, especially memoirs and health-related topics.
I was also constantly taking pictures of anyone and anything that crossed my path. Haven’t gotten into the actual nice cameras yet though. I know they would make my pictures look a LOT better, but I just don’t have that kind of money right now or the time to truly get my money’s worth out of it. But your pictures are always so breath-taking, your time and care really shows!
As a kid, I loved the Goosebumps books as well as the Boxcar Children. The Giver was another favorite, so much so that the pages are falling out now :) These days, I’m too consumed with college textbooks to read much of anything else. I graduate in December though, and the thing I’m looking forward to most is having a lot more time to read. Like you, I prefer non-fiction these days – anything to do with my hobbies.
amazing photos and admirable progression :)
I too was once an avid fiction reader. Nowadays, I’d much rather read a book about how to do something, or a book about a place I’d like to travel to. Although, getting lost in a good fictional book is an occasional thing for me.
Hope your having a wonderful Thursday darlin’,
J.Lynn
I love travel books too :)
I LOVE plate to pixel! Helene’s book inspired me to buy an indoor tungsten lighting kit, as well as to start saving up for a DSLR. I’ve only read up through the artificial lighting chapter thus far, but – as you said – I’ve already learned so much.
I like those Choose Your Own Adventure Books, I like to think life is a lot like that to – which road do we head down? I just always wonder what would have happened if I’d gone to page 57 instead of 78, :-).
I have a huge cookbook collection, and two locations for them. In fact I need to resort because my kitchen spot is overflowing. That’s where the books I reference regularly to cook go. I know, why do I have the others? Well, sometimes you just want a good cookbook to read ;-).
Having switched over to a lot of non-fiction, I find I still go for the fiction to relax, when I’m sick, etc., but last night in spite of being sick I ended up with Last Child in the Woods by Louv. Interesting, thought provoking, not necessarily relaxing.
I just ordered these books which I am very excited about.
Spork-Fed: Super Fun and Flavorful Vegan Recipes from the Sisters of Spork Foods
Jenny Engel, Heather Goldberg
and The 30-Day Vegan Challenge: The Ultimate Guide to Eating Cleaner, Getting Leaner, and Living Compassionately.
I am so enjoying my diet change and how good I feel! Thank you for inspiring me to do this!
I lovedLOVED all the Anne books as a kid…and still do now! Anne and Gilbert! Woot :D
Anne and Gilbert forevaaaaaa lol
I also read plate to pixel and it changed everything I know about food photography and has helped me grow so much! I pull it out all the time for reference also. Right now I’m reading on and off- What Color is Your Parachute? Which is all about job searching and finding your true passions and skills in life. As a senior in college its been helping me narrow my focus a ton!
that sounds like a cool book!
I loved all books growing up, especially nancy drew :)
I really need to read some books on how to use my DSLR properly, i have only mastered a few of the settings
Oh and right now i’m reading The Night Circus, great book!
Just wanted to say that I used to LOVE the make your own adventure books. I’d read them once choosing things I really would do, then again choosing all the opposite things, and sometimes cover-cover just to see all the different options (even though it was out of order).
I looove to read. Mostly non-fiction. I usually go with whatever I keep seeing out there, or what people (friends) suggest. Currently reading Pillars of the Earth. :)
Thanks for the book tip. Will order it soon!